


Jin and Ryuzo

by jenskaya20



Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Abandonment, Conflict, Friendship, Gen, Parasitism, Peer Pressure, Toxicity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29873958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenskaya20/pseuds/jenskaya20
Summary: Jin has had a major change in his life after the death of his father Kazumasa Sakai, but Ryuzo has been a constant. Still, they're growing up, and their friendship has started to change. Perhaps for the worse...Jin reaches a crossroads with Ryuzo where he must decide what's best for both of them.
Relationships: Two friends - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Jin and Ryuzo

_Eight months after the death of Kazumasa Sakai_

“Hurry up, Ryuzo!” Jin laughed. The two boys were on their way to their favorite cove by the sea, west of the Kubara region. They had a tiny boat they secretly borrowed from an old fisherman who didn’t need it anymore. The weather was clear and the tide was pretty high. It would be a perfect time for another sailing trip.

“We’ll be fine,” Ryuzo caught up with him, panting. “Besides, I don’t think anyone is gonna find us way out here if we don’t catch the tide. Where should we go today?”

“Ever thought of going to Goryeo?” Jin smirked.

“That’s even farther than Iki island! We’d need supplies for at least two days. Think you could handle that?”

“I think so… But I was just joking. Uncle would obviously disapprove,” Jin sighed.

“Hey, one of these days you should just do what’s best for you, you know? Come on, let’s get the boat out.”

The two boys pushed the boat into the water and rode along with the tide until they got to the open sea. The breeze was wilder out here, and tossed the sails a fair bit, but Ryuzo showed no fear. Jin aligned his feelings with him.

“It’s always nice to just get away from people sometimes, isn’t it?” Jin sighed and laid back in the boat. A few whispy clouds covered the sky on this warm morning.

“It is. Not that I know too much of it,” Ryuzo pursed his lips. “All I have to take care of me is my nanny, but she lets me be alone as much as I want, or hang out with whoever I want. So I’ve learned how to take care of myself.”

“Glad to hear it…”

The two boys went south. There was a fishing rod in the boat, so they took turns once they found a shallow area.

“You’re so impatient, aren’t you? Stop squirming around!” Ryuzo chided him when Jin kept tossing the line back and forth.

“There aren’t any fish here, we need to go elsewhere!”

“That’s because you’re scaring the fish! Let me do it.”

“Fine!” Jin grimaced. He preferred daydreaming anyway and laid out straight while Ryuzo patiently huddled over his rod, staring out at the horizon. His straw hat made for nice shade, while Jin had only a piece of canvas to cover his eyes.

“Look! I got one!” Ryuzo pulled out a small fish just 10 minutes later.

“Yes, you really are the waiting type…”

“I’ve had to wait for many things in my life. And the thinking that you do in between the wanting and getting, that’s what makes character.”

“I like that. Did you hear that somewhere?”

“You don’t think I could make something up myself? You and all your scrolls…” Ryuzo threw the fish back in the water and continued to sulk. Jin daydreamed quietly.

“Ryuzo, do you think we might fight in a big war one day? Like the one in Yarikawa?”

“It’s more than likely. Not everyone is a fan of your uncle, you know.”

“But not even that, what if someone were to attack from Goryeo?”

“They’d be insane to try. But then again, it’s not like we’ve been great at letting the outside world in. We could end up like fried fish!”

“True…”

“Another one!” Ryuzo caught much bigger fish, large enough to eat. “Ever eaten fish straight out of the sea like this?”

“Not in recent memory…”

“Soft boy! You really should try it, I’ll cut it up,” Ryuzo took out his knife and gutted the fish, leaving only two scaly fillets.

“Why would I ever need to eat fish like this?” Jin grimaced as he looked at it.

“Well in all honesty, Jin… do you seriously think the life you live is going to stay the same?”

“What do you mean?” Jin frowned.

“What I mean is… nothing lasts forever,” a casual smirk came over Ryuzo’s lips, and he took a bite straight out of his own fillet, spitting the bones out one by one.

“As far as I know I’ll be staying with Lord Shimura until I’m of age.”

“If you’re lucky. Is that what samurai really do though? Especially in someone’s position like him. Believe me, Jin, he’s only interested in one thing right now… an heir.”

“I… well, I’ve not really shared this with anyone… I’ve grown quite fond of him. It’s been a hope of mine that…”

“What? Say it!” Ryuzo grinned.

“If he would adopt me.”

“Hahaha!” Ryuzo burst out laughing. “What a dreamer you are. While that might be the case that he does one day, is he really going to forgo a chance to have a true blood heir? He can remarry any time, start over his family line. And you? You’ll just be a pleasant memory.”

“Even if he did he would hire me into his army!” Jin turned pale. “It’s not all been for naught.”

“You’re just his nephew, Jin. You’ll be a common soldier one day, just accept it… hence why you need a bit more grit to your life now, eh? Eat that fish… you’ll be doing it soon enough.”

Jin frowned and tried a bite. It wasn’t terrible but it was entirely plain and unsatisfying. He took a few bites and threw the rest into the water.

“Hey… I know it sounds harsh, but I want to help you,” Ryuzo said in soothing tones. “The fact is, there are probably so many better things you could be doing. Do what’s best for you in the long run! And it might mean to just be your own clan, be your own leader. That’s what I want to do one day.”

“You don’t want to go into service?”

“Well… that’s where we’ll _all_ end up. But one can hope all the same.”

“You’re a dreamer too then.”

Ryuzo gritted his teeth and put the fishing rod back in the boat. He leaned up against the mast and looked at his fingernails.

“I don’t want to be a slave. Do you? I want to work for myself, my own gain. Samurai are always making people indebted to them, and always risking other people’s heads instead of their own.”

“That’s not true! And that’s not true of Lord Shimura! He puts the people first and would lay down his life if it meant saving even a single commoner!”

Ryuzo shook his head with a chuckle. “Fine, keep your flowery image of him. But I know things, Jin… you’re much better off accepting the truth.”

Jin said nothing but stared out at sea.

“Hey, you like it out here, don’t you? Why not hang out here a bit more often. Get out of that castle. See what it’s like in the real world again. It’s best for you to know. Then you can perhaps consider if you really want another father after--"

“Shut up, Ryuzo!” Jin gritted his teeth and hugged his knees to his chest. Ryuzo rolled his eyes and kept inspecting his nails. The silence lasted longer this time.

“What I wanted to say earlier,” Jin spoke up again, this time more calmly. “Is that if we ever did have a war, I hope we will fight side by side together.”

Ryuzo looked at Jin with embarrassment but said nothing. He shifted the sails to take them back to shore.

“I’d like that too, Jin… I just don’t think it would happen… You don’t really…”

“… Really what?”

“… Never mind,” Ryuzo murmured. The sun was still high in the sky, but they had been out here almost four hours and were getting tired. They remained silent as they sailed back to the cove.

“Where are you off to now?” Jin asked him timidly once they arrived back on shore.

“Otsuna, I think. I have a friend I’d like to stay with.”

“Can I join you?”

“The trip? Maybe...”

“How long do you plan to be there?”

“Few days, maybe a week. I’ll get by, I won’t be needing anything.”

“… I’d like to know what that’s like.”

“… Maybe another time,” Ryuzo smiled, but it was sad. They parted ways and Jin went back to Castle Shimura before the sun set.

Jin brooded in his room one morning. It was overcast but little chance of rain. If he just slipped away for a night, would anyone notice? Uncle was busy as usual that day, meeting with many advisors and attendants.

Maybe he could make it a little longer. And then he’d be able to find out the truth…

“And I don’t need anything. I’ll just go out there on my own. Sleep under the stars…”

Jin mustered up all his courage for most of the day, and then went down to the lowest level of the keep. Lord Shimura was there, officiating a hearing. Jin watched him from the corner of the room for a while.

“That will be all for now. Thank you, Lord Adachi. I will visit you in Ariake when the season is cooler.”

“Thank you, Lord Shimura,” the lord left the keep with his escort. Uncle had many parchments on his table, and was so preoccupied with what he was reading and writing that he didn’t notice Jin. The boy bit his lip.

“Greetings, Uncle,” Jin approached him from the right and knelt with his face to the ground.

“Have you completed your studies today?” Uncle murmured, not looking up at him.

“Yes. I was about to go out now, to practice at the barracks.”

“Very well. Be back before dinner.”

Jin looked up. Lord Shimura was still absorbed with what was written in front of him. Clearly it was more important.

He didn’t even notice that Jin wasn’t bearing a sword.

Jin slowly walked out of the keep and down to the barracks next to the castle gates, already sealed shut. He normally came here to practice with both sword and kodachi, but not today. If he wanted to pass the gates, he would need to create a distraction. But what?

Jin went into the storage room in the barracks to have a look around. There were firecrackers in a crate, left over from a celebration only a month before. He grabbed a handful of packs along with a piece of flint to get it started. Jin left the barracks and walked about the most outer circle of the castle grounds. A small group of Samurai stood around the main gate.

It was an old trick that Ryuzo taught him, but it worked in certain circumstances to cause mass panic. A stable was next to the gate, and more than a few horses were inside. Jin took a saddle bag and put it between two of the horses, filling it with the firecrackers. He would have 15 seconds to get out of there unseen.

Jin struck his flint, lighting the long string to ignite the firecrackers. He casually walked out of the stable and went to the other side of the street near the wall. A moment later, there was an enormous commotion in the stable as dozens of firecrackers went off, scaring the horses. One of them broke loose from their rope and began galloping around the street.

“Hey! What’s going on?” Some samurai ran to the stables, and others after the horse. The guards on the watchtowers all turned around to examine if there was any threat. Jin found his moment and slipped through a small opening in the wall.

The weather was cool and breezy, but Jin was not cold. He would be fine, just fine. He climbed down the cliffs below the wall until he got to the riverside, and walked along its shore. The sounds of the castle above already faded away.

“I need to get used to this. I’ve been kidding myself. If I leave now, maybe I can save both of us a bit of heartbreak. Too bad there isn't a hidden passage south. Kin Sanctuary is a three-hour walk from here…”

Jin waded into the river and swam across to the other side. It was warm for this time of year, and refreshing. Jin found a rocky outcrop that he could hide out of view from the walls but also dry off. It wouldn’t be good to go on a walk soaking wet and catch a cold.

Darker thoughts invaded his mind as he rested in this spot. He sat on the stones and meditated for a long time, just listening to the water bubbling past him. Perhaps a poem was appropriate, just to be written in his mind. A reflection on endings…

“I guess I feel better now,” he smiled bitterly to himself before getting up. Suddenly in the distance he heard a samurai horn, followed by the pounding of hooves.

“Damn, they already came looking for me! I’ve only been out here two hours!” Jin hid behind a bush while the mounted samurai rushed into the nearby forest. One of them separated from the squadron and took a turn down to the river, scouting out the area. The distance closed between them to the point Jin was sure he was spotted, but his yellow tunic blended in with the leaf covering. The samurai rode past and continued on.

“They hunt me like a criminal. I guess I am… maybe Uncle is upset with me… threatening my well-being in such a way…” Jin gritted his teeth. He got up slowly and made his way upstream, beyond where the samurai rode. The leaves crunched under his feet, and he had little ground cover to hide in. He’d have to make a sprint north into the Endless Forest if he wanted to get to Kin Sanctuary before sundown.

Jin took off as quietly as he could in search of a path. The forest here felt unfamiliar, only because he hadn’t walked off the roads before. But to his surprise another horn was heard, this time in front of him. Scouts were returning back and approaching him, this time from the north. Jin had no where to hide in this forest and all the trees were too narrow to hide behind. He huddled down at the bottom of a trunk and hoped they wouldn’t notice him.

“Jin! What are you doing here?” the captain of the guard rode up to his left. He looked down at Jin in astonishment.

Jin gave him an angry glance and made a hopeless dash west to get away. The captain yelled for him to stop, signalling the other samurai in the area to come to their location. Within a few seconds several samurai cut him off.

“Why am I running off like a coward?” The thought suddenly struck Jin. “Why am I afraid?” He slowed down and looked at the samurai in a semi-circle around him.

“Lord Sakai, stop this! You have some explaining to do! Lord Shimura was worried sick that something happened to you, that you were abducted! He was about to come out here himself to look for you tonight. The sun is about to set!”

“… I wanted to be alone.”

“But not out here you can. Get on my horse.”

“No. I’ll walk home…”

The captain squinted his eyes in confusion but allowed him this right. He escorted Jin back while the other samurai rode ahead to give the news. The sun was low when they arrived just below the castle.

“I don’t want to go in,” Jin muttered.

“But it’s your uncle’s orders to return you to him.”

“I’ll go in when I want to! Just… leave me here… please.” Jin sat down on the rocky shore of the river. Above were the sheer cliffs upon which the castle walls stood.

The captain frowned. “Do you promise not to run off again?”

“I do. I’ll stay at the river…”

The captain nodded his head and went on his way to report back. Jin sat on the river’s edge for several minutes, throwing pebbles into the water.

Just then a white horse came riding down from the gates…

“Uncle doesn’t want me around you anymore,” Jin told Ryuzo a week later. He had come by Omi village to see if Ryuzo was in town, and sure enough he was loitering about the fishing pier.

“What! Why not? What does _he_ know about me?” Ryuzo scoffed. He didn’t look at Jin.

Jin gritted his teeth, unwilling to bring up the incident with his uncle. “He just said you’re a bad influence on me.”

“Well, what do you think? Am I?”

“You lied to me, Ryuzo.”

He turned to Jin. “Why would I lie to you? I give you my honest word on everything. Even if some things are opinion, I speak from fact.”

“Not this time. Lord Shimura won’t abandon me if he gets another heir.”

“Oh is _that_ what this is all about? Did you really get so caught up with that after our talk?” Ryuzo chuckled. “It was only an observation, anyone could see that — ”

“ _Ryuzo!_ ” Jin yelled. Ryuzo bit his tongue and stared back at the lake. There was an awkward silence.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I spoke about things I didn’t understand. If you don’t want to hang around me anymore, that’s fine too…”

Jin said nothing, but stood in place, long enough for Ryuzo to finally look him in the eye.

“So you’re having second thoughts?”

Jin rolled his eyes and slowly paced about in silence.

“Do you want to stay friends?” Ryuzo asked slowly.

“Yes…” Jin muttered. “But you really shouldn’t have said that.”

“I know… I’m sorry…”

Jin stopped pacing and gloomily sat next to his friend. “I’ll just say I’m dropping by here to see other people. Let’s just pretend none of that happened, okay?”

“Okay…” Ryuzo shrugged his shoulders. They sat quietly next to each other as the sun slowly moved across the sky. At least it was a refreshing day with only a few clouds.

“Want to fish?” Ryuzo picked up the fishing rod at his side. Jin took it from him and cast it in, neither of them saying anything.

“What?!” Jin snapped to attention as his line tightened. He pulled up a decent-sized fish, good enough for eating. They had only been there for a few minutes.

“Congratulations!” Ryuzo laughed in surprise. “You have passed the test of patience! You are ready to move onto your next trial.”

Jin smiled lightly. He took his knife and cleaned it himself before carrying it to a nearby campfire in the village. The two of them sat down for a small meal before planning to part ways once again.

“I’m not really _that_ worth it to you, am I?” Ryuzo muttered as Jin was about to leave.

“Ryuzo, you’re one of my only friends. What would I do without you? I would be bored to death in that castle!”

“You’re probably right about that,” he smirked, but then became solemn again. “I’m not sure how a samurai and a rogue like me ever got in touch the way we did so many years ago, but — ”

“You worry about that too much, Ryuzo. It’s okay. I forgive you,” Jin put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Ryuzo didn’t object.

“Now that it seems your life is all cut out for you… Your uncle’s probably right about me.”

“Not at all. He doesn’t know you like I do. Farewell, Ryuzo. Until we meet again!”

The two boys exchanged smiles. Jin rode off on his pony back to Castle Shimura, leaving Ryuzo in the village. He returned back to the fishing pier and sat there as the gloom settled over the forests and lake. A lantern glowed off in the distance on the island with the white tree.

Ryuzo glared with resentment into the darkness.

_The vine grasps the tree_   
_Forgotten in its cool shade_   
_Starving while it fades_

**Author's Note:**

> Jin could never really understand why Ryuzo is resentful of him and everything he comes from. I believe Jin's naivete in the game is quite clearly developed, and I don't believe it simply to be incidental. It's a pattern of behavior he's had all his life. This is a contemplation of what I think their friendship actually looked like. Even though at its core there was something true and special, it slowly got rotten with things left unsaid between them.


End file.
